Ramble 19: Eager Beltliners

March 2, 2013 - the day eager-beavers for the Beltline gathered to walk the 22-acre parcel that will be a new public park or preserve  for Alameda. (Yes, there's a semantic different between the two: a "park" is gussied up, may have sports fields or other amenities, and requires more money and more maintenance while a "preserve" is more laissez-faire and maintains more of the natural flora and fauna of the place. Judging from two focus groups conducted in February, Alamedans, including Marge, want a "preserve".
Here's the group (you don't get to see Marge or Sergei here in full RGB color: Marge is camera-woman on this day as Sergei had to attend a different event). 

Quick summary:
Some years ago, super-sleuth and Alameda resident Jean Sweeney investigated the historical property documents and contracts associated with this land.  Stretching from Sherman in the east, Constitution in the west, Atlantic to the North, and the west end neighborhoods of Buena Vista/Pacific to the south, Jean found a way for the city to purchase the land for a tenth of Pacific Railroad's asking price: just under $1 million as opposed to $40 million. It now belongs to The People.
Thank you, Jean!

Apparently, the area served as both a passenger stop and the train switching yard. 
There are some areas of contamination - including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from fuel and maintaining machinery, etc - so some environmental clean up will be necessary.
The concrete slab in the picture to the right  represents what's left of what was once the passenger boarding area.

Spring has sprung in the trees (they look like acacia to Marge) about half way between Sherman and Constitution.

By this time the group had stretched out and, here, with the Food Bank to the right, a segment of the group gathers near the south corner.

Future sculpture garden?
In the picture on the left, debris remaining from another building shows signs of visits from graffiti artists.
Marge wonders: Instead of hauling away this debris and clogging up landfill, why not build on what already exists and maintain this area as a memorial sculpture garden that reminds visitors of our past?


Below, Alameda resident Zack/Matt (first he said his name was Zack, then amended that to Matt) sits atop the same concrete remains as shown in the photo above.
Now, dear reader, do you see the possibilities for a sculpture garden?
(Sergei suggest Marge edits this segment to include his view of things: "At least tell readers, Marge, that this crazy idea is yours and yours alone and that there's no such thinking going on in the upper echelons of city power where it matters. Most residents would be horrified if ARPD - and the city - allowed what they'd see as debris that could lead to litigation left on the property. That's good enough for you, Marge, but far too wild and woolly for the majority of Alameda's residents."
Thank you for your perspective, Sergei. You point out what is undoubtedly true. But (Marge sighs loudly)...one can dream, not so?

 

The good (er, goodish) old days
Wendell J. Stewart brought along his 1919 Ford Model T to assist anyone struggling to negotiate the uneven land ...and anyone who simply wanted a ride and a touch of nostalgia. 
Marge rode for a while and learned from Wendell that, in the U.S, the Ford Model T was the first vehicle that women were legally allowed to drive.
Bouncing around on the front seat, Marge noticed the lack of seatbelts...and that the doors - very cute, small and, at knee height, very short - provide little protection to a passenger - or a driver - who could hit a bump and pop right out of the vehicle and into the road!
According to Wendell the Ford Model T was known to flip easily. Moreover, it quickly overheats unless it goes fast to keep the engine cool. Hmmm...

Here, elegant Gretchen Lipow and Carol Gottstein pose for Marge. Wendell is just visible to the left.


Below shows the corner at Constitution and Atlantic with the city's senior housing facility in the background.
Marge does not know who is the little boy in the foreground. She hopes that, one day in the far future, someone will look at the picture and say something along the lines of, "Ohhh, isn't that you, Jason (or Benjamin, or Mark) as a youngster? And, my goodness, look how little things have changed since that day, back in early 2013, when the first group of eager-to-be-involved-in-the-new-Sweeney-Preserve took a walk on the Beltline?"
Amen!